LIVE
THE ARCHIVES
Marc Soucy: electric grand piano, organ, analog synthesizers
Jeff Carano: bass guitar
Ray Lavigne: drums, percussion, and furnace parts
Audio restoration and videos** created by Marc
These are LIVE performances directly to stereo tape using room microphones only.
no studio, no tracking
THEY ARE PRESENTED AS THEY WERE PLAYED, WARTS AND ALL.
**Please excuse the sometimes inside—but always nonsensical—humor attempted in these videos. They often reference each other so watching them in order could be helpful. Thanks for your indulgence.
THUS BEGINS “THE ANTARTICA MYTHOLOGY”
“Marc Soucy deserves praise for his efforts to save this historic moment and the track stands as proof of live music’s enduring impact. This release marks the start of a series of tracks from Antarctica which will ensure that this period of Marc’s musical journey remains in memory.” — Swiispa.net — April 2 2025
Mayhem in Antartica
“Soucy delivers a crystallized moment of his musical youth,… a fascinating hybrid of improvisation and calculated composition, where layers of keyboards reverberate like polar wind gusts, percussion pulses like the frozen heart of the Antarctic landscape, and the bass holds the ground like ice about to crack underfoot.” — Radio Amarzen April 4 2025
"The 8-minute instrumental is hectic, inventive, endlessly engaging and dynamic, as well as just amazingly delivered. The bass of Jeff Carano sings throughout the recording, the drums of Ray Lavigne carry the whole band forward with such immense talent and effortlessness, and Soucy’s shapeshifting, dissonant, rhythmically twisted, and hella fun synths lead the way with an outstanding presence and sense of creativity.” — Rock Era Magazine April 11 2025
‘Mayhem in Antarctica’ is gorgeously restored. I went through a full listen before finding out the music was played live, and just then the enjoyment factor immediately quadrupled. You can feel the energy that was in the room all those decades ago just by stepping into this consuming time capsule of a release." -- Rockerama Magazine April 11 2025
Charlie Backwards
“One more recording from a night that happened some 40 years ago. A night that deserves to live in infamy, when Marc Soucy, alongside Jeff Carano and Ray Lavigne, got together and produced a sound so grandiose and precise it could tunnel through mountains.” — RockeraMagazine April 25 2025
“Soucy’s keyboard work is the song’s beating heart—spiraling, funky, playful, and feverishly precise. His keys race and dart like flickering neon across the midnight pavement, summoning the spirit of Vince Guaraldi with a modern, rebellious twist.” — Cheeran Zoe, De Ochtenschijn April 30 2025
“Marc leads the charge on keys, not just playing but commanding the entire atmosphere like a mad scientist with a synthesizer.The music video, featuring bobsled footage, is a clever metaphor for the track’s relentless momentum—it just doesn’t stop. …There's a fearless DIY spirit here, a youthful intensity that still resonates four decades later.” — Iain Johnson, Odyssey Magazines April 22 2025
“The most fascinating thing about this late single is its undiminished energy: we hear all the insolence, the freshness, the creative fever of a young composer who already firmly believed in music as a major art.” — extravafrench April 24 2025
When I Take the Five
“Having spent years exploring the contours of progressive rock, “When I Take The Five” finds him stepping into jazz territory, drawing particular inspiration from the West Coast cool jazz movement and the iconic work of Dave Brubeck. The track’s title itself is a nod to Brubeck’s classic “Take Five,” but Soucy takes the genre into unexpected terrain…” — Tamara Jenna, TJPL News May 16 2025
“The absence of organ or electronic keyboards allows for the full focus on Soucy ’s nimble, expressive, and playful piano playing. He navigates chromatic scales, moving bass lines, and harmonic modulations with palpable joy. The interplay within the trio is fluid, spontaneous, almost telepathic…” — Révolutions de Rhythme, May 19 2025
“The piano leads with charm and agility, threading playful melodies through tight rhythmic interplay with Carano’s warm, nimble bass lines and Lavigne’s crisp, responsive drumming. The trio locks in effortlessly, creating a buoyant swing that invites the jazz head and the casual listener to sit back and enjoy the ride. …It was, as Soucy describes, the beginning of his life as a composer, and you can hear that sense of emergence in every note. It’s a track that feels like a sketchbook filled with technical confidence and youthful wonder.” — Graham, Hit Harmony Haven May 17 2025
“The performance is vibrant, light-hearted, and richly expressive, capturing the spontaneous energy of a live session while maintaining precision and sophistication. …“When I Take The Five” not only pays homage to jazz tradition but also reflects Soucy’s evolution as a composer who honors the past while creating something distinctly his own.” — Fox Fire Magazine May 14 2025
“What makes this track particularly noteworthy is its stripped-back structure. … just piano, bass, and drums. This minimalism allows the listener to appreciate the nuances of Soucy's touch on the keyboard and his command of melody and rhythm.” — Federico, Dolce Brano (Italy) May 16 2025
No This Isn’t Jazz Either
The Out Cats
Too Cool For You
Marc’s Little Ditty, Tying the “Antartica Mythology” all together.
